The Clone of Nick Cutter
by Danica Blazenka
Summary: Being the clone of Nickolas Cutter involves being manipulated by your ex wife, betraying your team and instructed to destroy the place you love. With only one day of life, can Cutter's clone make the right decisions? Fix-it for s3 e3.
1. Part 1: Initiating the Plan

A.N.: **This is a fix-it for s3 e3. Just because… I don't like Jenny, Danny or Philip Burton as team leader – Cutter was just too good, in my opinion. Hope you enjoy.**

The first thing he saw was Helen. The first thing he heard was her voice, her orders. The first thing he learned was to follow her orders, despite the feeling in his soul that said otherwise.

A soul- it was foolish to even believe he had one. He was a copy and, as Helen had said, they were not human without their free will.

It had been easy enough to follow Helen's orders at first. They were simple commands; the type you would give a dog such as sit, stand, and speak. Yet that day was different and he should have known then.

Entering the ARC was easy enough when everyone thought you were Nick Cutter. No one looked at him twice until he got to his supposed team members; he was like a ghost.

Lester and Jenny seemed to notice something was off but they would not figure it out. As soon as he heard Helen's voice, no one could stop her from entering the ARC. Helen's plan would be enacted and the ARC team could not do anything about it.

The Cutter clone marveled at the work his true self had completed. It was something to be proud of yet he felt envious of the man's genius. He was told he could not feel emotions yet this is what he felt.

The army of clones Helen had control over took the ARC over with a fierce force. Soon guns were being shot into the air while the ARC team was ushered to where they would be out of the way.

The Cutter clone made his way into the hallway to greet the team; especially Lester. He could not help but feel some sort satisfaction at being able to hold a gun to the man's head.  
Yet, he followed Helen's orders once again when she told him not to kill Lester just yet. The team walked past and the clone felt the urge to look back, especially to gain a glimpse of Jenny Lewis, yet he remained expressionless as he moved away.

While they waited for the real Nick Cutter and the rest of the ARC team to return, Helen wandered into Cutter's office. Once again the Cutter clone was faced with the real Cutter's genius as he viewed the matrix and various equations.

"We should have worked on it together," Helen stated, while talking to the Cutter clone. "But what am I talking to you for?" she questioned with disgust as she held the artifact in hand.

He couldn't help but feel resentment towards…someone…as he quietly stood there. He continued to ponder over his supposedly non-existent feelings when one of the clones announced the field team had returned.

The Cutter clone moved through the door to the main room to find Nick, Connor and Abby all standing there. Abby and Connor's shock was evident as the clone appeared behind the real copy.

Connor stammered in his usual boyish tone, "It…it's you," as he stared blankly at the two men. Nick turned around to face his clone with the same shock Abby and Connor shared. The only thing the Cutter clone could do was blink as Helen instructed Connor and Abby to be placed with the others. Everything was going according to plan.

Nick Cutter walked around as he examined the clone of himself while Helen watched with a smirk. "You created this," Nick stated more than asked. "I…borrowed the technology from the future," she explained as Nick continued to look, "It's made from your DNA. Perfect in every physical detail." Nick stopped as he looked at her quizzically, "Physical?"

Helen gave out a mew in response as she continued to explain, "It has uh…limited intelligence, enough to follow basic instruction." "It's still a human being thought, right?" he asked with concern. Even though the Cutter clone continued to stare ahead he thought those had to be the kindest words he heard in his actual life, not within the memories he had from Nick Cutter.

Yet, Helen just had to open her mouth to contradict him and just shrugged, "Free will is what makes us human, Nick. This, um…_creature _is…uh…nothing more than a living photo copy." She finished with a smile that seemed to unnerve Nick Cutter; it unnerved his clone too. He hated the way she had called him a creature when he had held her so high in regard for creating him – for giving him life.

"Please tell me you didn't do this to Stephen," Nick asked and it brought more memories to the clone as he remembered what Helen had done to Stephen and how he died. "No matter what they look like, they can never be the original," Helen stated with sorrow evident in her voice as she walked away.

"Why are you doing this, Helen?" Nick asked as he followed her. "Because I have seen the destruction of almost every living creature on this once beautiful planet," she began while obviously thinking about the future anomaly, "I can stop this, Nick. I can save…"

"Look, whatever is going to happen is going to happen and we have to leave it alone. You remember what happened the last time. You killed Stephen," he informed her. "I didn't kill Stephen," she argued, "You did."

However, Cutter's clone seemed to lose interest as the two continued to argue over timelines and morality. He was still frustrated with how Helen truly viewed him. She seemed only to be honest in front of her ex-husband. Nick brought up why didn't his clone kill him and it made him wonder, why hadn't he killed Nick Cutter when he had the chance? Then he could be the original.

After Nick refused to tell her about the artifact, Helen gave her order. "Give him ten seconds then shoot him," and he followed her orders like a good soldier as he walked straight to Cutter to hold a gun to his head.

The clone immediately began his counting and Nick tried to strangest thing; he tried to reason with it. It was idiotic, especially in Helen's and the clone's opinion. The clone had little reasoning, no free will and absolutely no soul with compassion or mercy.

"Don't do it," Nick reasoned but Helen countered, "You can't appeal to his feelings, Nick, he doesn't have any. Now tell me what this is." Nick continued his reasoning with his clone, "You don't have to do what she says, you know. You have a choice," Nick stated.

It could have been something instinctive, something to do with their shared DNA that made the clone hesitate for a moment and actual lower his gun. Yet, when Cutter closed his eyes in relief the gun instinctively popped back up with the counting continuing where it left off. Cutter eventually agreed to tell Helen what the artifact was. He agreed so easily the clone was compelled to keep the gun locked on Cutter until Helen demanded otherwise. Her order seemed to kill the notion in his mind of killing the original. Even though Nick Cutter probably did not realize it, Cutter's clone probably could not consciously kill his true self.

Suddenly Helen's voice filled the internal audio system with orders to stop obeying her. While her army clones seemed to obey the recording as they dropped their weapons, the Cutter clone seems to still have control and he began to wonder if he really did have free will like his true self told him her did. She was frantic as she tried to convince the other clones it wasn't her orders over the system but then she turned to her clone of Cutter. "It's over, Helen," Nick said but she still had hope for the plan.

"Listen to my voice," she ordered the Cutter clone, "Complete your mission," she demanded. The clone looked from her to the suitcase knowing if he did not listen she would come up with another way to destroy the ARC and possibly his true self. He knew Nick never in a million years you think Helen would use a bomb yet that was exactly what she had in the suitcase. So the Cutter clone tried to rationalize as he set down his gun and opened the case.

While Helen moved away to the exit, Cutter ran to his clone and tried to reason with him one more time. "Look, I know you can hear me. I know you can understand. You don't have to obey her," Cutter reasoned again.

"But, she made me," he stated back, it was the one issue that still bothered him – does any living creature ever dare go against its creator? "You're a human being, you have a choice," Nick retorted to his cloned self.

"Don't listen to him. Follow your instruction," Helen ordered. Nick glared at her and Cutter's clone wished he could do the same. It was always orders with her, she never talked to him like she did with Nick – to her he was nothing more than a creature to control.

"You're not a machine' you're a free man," Nick continued to persuade and the more Cutter's clone listened, the more his true self made sense. "You don't want to die," he argued but that was wrong, "I don't know what death is," his clone stated with his hand still above the trigger. "Trust me, life's better," he argued but could he trust him? Nick Cutter seemed to want to live but could there be two Cutters in this world?

"Don't listen to him," Helen yelled again from a distance this time as she moved farther far the bomb and towards the exit. Her cowardice and Cutter's logic conflicted in the clone's mind as he turned to the real Nick Cutter with a smile, "Save yourself."

Nick seemed confused and conflicted for a moment before understanding the words. At one moment he seemed happy that his clone had listened to him but seemed frightened by the idea he was still going to detonate the bomb. Nick quickly ran the way Helen did as Cutter's clone prepared to press the detonator of the bomb.

**Ugh, this was so hard to write and took forever but it was one of those ideas that would not leave me alone. I just had to write it and then, of course, post it. Part 2 will be up Friday.  
(Yes, there is a part 2. I wouldn't leave it there.)**

**Explanation: This was mainly brought on by the last scene during the episode. After Cutter takes off his jacket to hide the artifact you really don't see his pants through the rest of the episode. It would be hard to tell him and the clone apart since they both wore black shirts if it wasn't already inferred the clone died in the blast. Plus, when Cutter enters the ARC he's wearing blue jeans. When the camera pans up to him laying dead on the ground he's jeans are dark in color, like the clone's had been. Go ahead; watch the episode – right where the clone walks in after Cutter, Connor and Abby. You get a good look of both their outfits. Even though it's probably continuity issues of the part of the staff or Cutter's pants got dirty from the explosion and smoke, it gives the conspiracy theorist in me ideas. **

**So I really hope you guys enjoyed this little story. Thank you for reading. **


	2. Part 2: PostBlast

A.N.:** I know present you with part 2. Hope you enjoy the actual "fix-it" part and conclusion of this story. **

Cutter's clone waited until Nick was past the door and out of the danger. Then he moved away from the suitcase and towards the other exit. When he just barely still in range of the remote, he detonated the bomb.

The blast was stronger than he expected as all hell seemed to break lose around the ARC. Cutter's clone managed to duck into one of the offices before the fire from the blast traveled down the hallway corridor.

Becker and Connor searched through the rooms that use to be the ARC. Cutter felt debris lift off of him while Connor called out his mentor's name. Connor managed to lift the man he assumed to be Cutter with help from Becker. The trio hurried out of the crumbling ARC to meet with the rest of their team.

Once they were safely out of the plumes of smoke, Cutter took a good look around. He sighed a breath of relief to see his whole team was alright but was concerned when he did not see Helen or his other self. "Where's Helen?" he asked, hoping someone had an answer. "Think she's still inside," Connor coughed out as Abby tried to sooth him. What happened to Helen and the important object she had?

He had to find out so he quickly grabbed a flash light. Just as he was ready to go in, Jenny was by his side in an instant, "Nick! She wouldn't lift a finger to save you." He smiled as he remembered the earlier conversations in the main room of the ARC. "Yea, I know," he replied to her. "Don't go," she pleaded, "This is a mistake."  
He knew she was right but then, who would go back in to find Helen, the object and Nick Cutter?  
"I'll be fine," he reassured her as he went in; after all, he was only a copy.

~o~

Nick Cutter knocked some fallen debris off of him as he managed to get up. Helen had really out done herself with the bomb. The place was destroyed completely he noticed as he tried to avoid snapping wires and groaning beams. He noticed his dark surrounding as he managed to find a flashlight while he tried to make it to any exit from the building.

(Scene cuts to…)

Cutter's clone flinched away from the building flames as he searched for any sign of Helen or Nick. He instantly drew away from a door for fear of back draft. Even though he did not fear death, he was pretty sure he did not want to catch on fire. The heat radiating from the flames seemed…painful.

(Scene cuts to…)

Nick continued to search for any life but all he could find were dead cleaner clones. He couldn't help wonder what happened to Helen and the object. He tried to keep his thoughts focused on finding Helen even though he wished his clone did not blow himself up. While he wasn't too thrilled to have conversations with himself or anything of the life, he did however value the man's life and wish he did not have to die because of Helen and her orders.

~o~

Smoke and fire grew as Cutter finally spotted the artifact lying on the floor. Right next to that was an unconscious brunette, Helen. He quickly took off his jacket and used it to grab the artifact then stashed it away before he tried to rouse Helen.

She coughed as she awoke; well at least she was alive despite the smoke inhalation. She seemed awfully surprise when she gasped, "You came back for me?" "Yea," he simply replied while his worries about the fires grew. "You were always so sentimental," Helen stated and Cutter couldn't help but think she assumed a little too much.

"Where's the artifact?" Helen demanded. "I don't know. It'll be wherever you left it," Cutter informed her as he avoided eye contact with the fallen pipe. "What did it do, Nick? Why is it so important?" she continued to demand. Cutter found himself in a hard place so he decided to be honest. "I haven't the faintest idea. Now, you coming or aren't you?" he asked as he made his way through the door frame and hopefully towards the exit.

"I'm sorry, Nick," Helen called out as she followed him, "but I can't let you go." "What the hell are you talking about…now?" Cutter questioned as he turned to face her but instead was face with a gun. He turned away from her for a moment in astonishment, "Oh, for god's sake, he muttered as he wondered if this was how he was going to die.

Cutter faced her again as she began to somewhat explain, "Things have to change, Nick. The future is more important than either of us." Cutter could have rolled his eyes as he stated, "You really know how to pick your moments, don't you?"

"If you'd seen what I've seen then you would understand," she continued, despite the distance between them Cutter could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Nick," she stated as she reached to cock the gun but continued, "I wish there was another way."

She hesitated as Cutter realized that despite her conviction and beliefs she was not going to shoot him. He did not know where the real Cutter was or when he might appear. If he did and Helen found out which was the clone or if she just decided to shoot both…it left Cutter's clone with only one option.

"You know what, Helen? You're not as smart as I thought you were," he stated. It was true when he had thought the world of her for creating him. Yet now, when she couldn't tell the difference between the 'copy' and her real husband, his opinion of her greatly waned.

He saw her pull the trigger, he heard the shot rang out but nothing could prepare his body for the pain he felt afterwards. The cold and loneliness that soon followed as Helen ran off leaving him to die. He managed to limp back into the office where he had stashed the artifact before he collapsed.

~o~

Suddenly a shot sounded out and Nick realized it was on the other side of the ARC building. Realizing that Helen possibly had a gun from one of the clones he quickly rushed as fast as he could through the amounts of debris. He hoped she hadn't been foolish enough to take her anger out on a member of his team.

(scene cuts to…)

After the fire burst from the ceiling and Connor got permission from Abby, he ran into the burning building after Cutter. The place was a wreck with falling pipes and insulation. He searched the room again in effort to find Nick Cutter, hopefully alive.

The smoke continued to blind him but he eventually found his mentor on the floor clutching at his chest. "Cutter…" Connor's words died as he saw the way Cutter was coughing in pain. "Connor," he muttered in return as he realized who the young man was, "Good man," he stated.

Through his memories, possibly from their shares DNA, he knew Connor always did the right thing and he was terribly brave for risking his own life to find his mentor. "Listen, I'm going to get you out of…" Connor began as he tried to lift the man but Cutter screamed. He definitely did not expect the pain; he never felt anything like it before.

"Don't…don't do that," he requested as he slumped back. "Sorry," the young man apologized with sincere eyes. Cutter only wished he could have met more kind people like Connor Temple in his short life. "It's okay," he reassured him, "Just sit with me, alright?" he asked as he supposed he could get a last request.

Connor managed an 'okay' as he sat next to the man. He seemed solemn and Cutter realized the young man probably thought his mentor and team leader was dying. He probably should have corrected his assumed reasoning but he would find out anyway. Besides, there were more pressing matters to attend to in the short time they had.

Cutter managed to sit up and reveal the artifact from his jacket. "Listen," he began as he handed it to Connor, "This matters. Don't know why but it does. So you have to find out what it means, okay?" he asked and Connor agreed. "It's on you now," Cutter began but Connor shook his head this time. "Don't worry," Cutter said as his voice weakened, "You have your whole team to help you. You have your friends and you have your life. Be happy about that Connor, please." Connor resented and nodded to the man but stated, "Come on, we can do this together. We've always done it together." Cutter nodded before saying, "You will and you can, just not with me per say." Connor was confused deeply by what the man was saying but decided to bring it up when he was dying.

"Tell," he began, "Tell Claudia Brown…" but decided that was best for the real Nick Cutter to do, "Never mind. Doesn't matter," he finished before he leaned back and closed his eyes. If he was some part human and did have a soul, through the short time he had with this life, he prayed he had done the right things.

~o~

Connor felt like weeping right there as he continued to look down at his mentor and the artifact he had been presented with. He did not want to continue at the ARC without Cutter. Sure, he had Abby and everyone else but Cutter was the reason he had even wanted to join. And Cutter had been the reason he stayed on after Duncan and Stephen had both died. He was at a lost what he was going to do…

"Connor?" a voice called from the door frame and as Connor looked up the man's confusing words suddenly made sense. There stood his professor, Nick Cutter with a flash light and confused look upon his face. Then the man beside him had to be...the clone, Connor realized.

"What happened? I heard a gunshot and…" Cutter stopped as he saw the man next to Connor and rushed over to check the pulse of the man. "I…ah…I found him like this. I came in looking for you when you didn't come back and thought…" Cutter held up a hand as tears leaked from Connor's eyes and nodded with understanding,

"You thought he was me. Connor, don't worry, I'm the original. I just thought he died in the bomb explosion," Cutter stated with amazement. Connor nodded as he held out the artifact to Cutter. "Thank you Connor. You're a good man," Cutter stated, as he referred to Connor risking his life once again.

Connor couldn't help but beam a smile, "That's what he said too." Cutter smiled in return before looking down at his cloned self, "He's done a lot to help us, especially being one of Helen's clones. I think this man deserves a proper burial, don't you?" Cutter asked and Connor immediately agreed. The young man gathered the clone in his arms and the two men made their way out of the burning ARC.

~o~

Even though everyone had been relieved in some way that it had been the clone Cutter to die instead of the original, it did not make the funeral any less depressing. The man's grave was left anonymous with a simple John Doe for the name but a grand statement about how he helped others and died for his country. The funeral itself was full of everyone from the ARC home office paying their respects.

"Helen was wrong," Cutter stated as the casket was lowered into the ground, "Even if he was just a copy of me, he was a human being with free will. It just saddens me this is all we can do for him."

The rest of the team nodded quietly in agreement, and even Lester kept his mouth shut about the funeral's expenses. "At least I can carry out his final wishes," Connor stated. Cutter nodded as he wrapped an arm around the young man's shoulders in the gesture of a hug.

"We'll unravel the mystery of the artifact and stop Helen before she does anything else this drastic," Cutter said with determination as the team watched the dirt tossed into the grave. Deciding it was now the best time to leave; the team turned to their vehicles and headed back to the ARC- all together as a team.

**Hope you enjoyed this story. So sorry I told everyone about this story about two weeks ago and just posting it now. Thank you for reading anyway. **

**If you wanted to know why I have the (scene cuts to…), I don't know if it's my television recording unit (I recorded this episode for my two stories – I wasn't confident about my memory), but the scenes seemed to switch between Cutter in ARC with flames and Cutter in ARC with darkness. If you have the chance to watch the episode, then please tell me if this is the case. It seemed like good places to switch between the two Cutters.  
Plus I wasn't sure which Cutter I wanted where and when so I left those parts as vague as I could till the end. So, despite the confusion I'm glad it is finally written. **


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